All in the family

Transcription

All in the family

#769 APRIL 17–30, 2014
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2 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Roundup
TORONTO’S
GAY& LESBIAN
NEWS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE!
Ŕ
#769 APRIL 17–30, 2014
The Case Against 8
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THE BEST OF GAY
& LESBIAN TORONTO
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Now in its 19th year, the festival has grown to be a
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featuring 197 entries from 43 countries E 18
Editorial
New blood at the BIA
By Danny Glenwright E4
Feedback E4
Xcetera E5
Upfront
Toronto school board
votes to reaffirm support
for Pride E7
Cover story
Bully pulpit
Now that gays are part of the
establishment, are we abusing
our newfound power? E8
Local news
New projects underway
in the Village E12
History Boys
One of history’s first
documented fag hags
By Michael Lyons E13
Xposed
By Anna Pournikova E26
E Tegan and Sara
to close WorldPride
Classifieds E28
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Arts roundup Queer comedy
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All in the family
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Comment
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4 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
NEVILLE ROSS
TORONTO, ON
519 Pride DJs
What’s wrong with this picture
[“The 519 Launches Its First-Ever
DJ Search,” dailyxtra.com, April 3]?
Toronto DJ legends Deko-ze, Mark
Falco and Neill MacLeod have to win
a contest to get a chance to spin? This
is wrong on so many levels.
JOHN W
TORONTO, ON
David Wootton’s
dismissal
I hate to see our community fighting amongst themselves [“Former
Church-Wellesley BIA Manager
Threatens Lawsuit over Dismissal,”
dailyxtra.com, April 4]. If Wootton
was dismissed, he has employment
rights for wrongful dismissal and
possibly a human rights complaint.
JERRY HERSZKOPF
TORONTO, ON
Based on the information in this article, one might think that the ChurchWellesley Village BIA should have
terminated its “partnership” with the
519 Church Street Community Centre,
rather than fire David Wootton as its
manager.
KYLER J
TORONTO, ON
Cock
There is nothing new here [“Cock,”
dailyxtra.com, March 30]. The old
literary closet of self-hate and selfloathing is now being dressed up as
“queer.” This play is just following
the formula of so many novels, plays
and movies of the past on the failure
of gay male relationships. How many
[RE: YOUTH HOMELESSNESS]
FREE
36,000 AUDITED
CIRCULATION
#768 APRIL 3–16, 2014
PLUS!
WORLDPRIDE
WORRIES
E
7
FRANCIS
BACON
E
17
@dailyxtra
It’s time to start building housing
for youth, not just shelters [“Raising
the Roof,” Xtra #768, April 3]. What
happened to Tyler Johnston while he
stayed at Covenant House was (and
is, in my honest opinion) inexcusable and had no business happening
(what if he was volunteering as a part
of his courses at school and couldn’t
just drop everything and come home
early due to curfew?). We need a system of housing for troubled youth
that gives them a place to stay when
they’re kicked out of the nest early for
whatever reason.
facebook.com/dailyxtra
The new manager of the
Church-Wellesley Village
Business Improvement Area (BIA) had
best roll up his sleeves.
Mychol Scully has replaced longtime
manager David Wootton, whose contract was not renewed by the BIA board
because he apparently doesn’t possess
the skills the BIA needs to participate in
WorldPride and the 2015 Pan Am Games.
It’s a good thing board members realized
that when they did — WorldPride is two
months away.
Wootton has threatened to pursue a
wrongful dismissal case, which means
it hasn’t been the most auspicious start
for Scully. In addition, there are worrying signs that Scully may suffer from the
same handicap as other board members
who have often expressed an unwillingness to build bridges and listen to divergent views. In his first interview with Xtra
after taking the job, Scully said he doesn’t
look at “Debbie Downer” media that talks
about the death of the Village — “I don’t
read Xtra or any of the major papers. I’m
a huge proponent of online information.”
While that bodes well for the BIA’s
website, which is perpetually out of date
and provides scant information about the
community, it’s a bit lacking as a communications strategy. It’s all too reminiscent
of BIA co-chair Avery Pitcher’s 2012
letter that said she would speak to Xtra
only if our reporters write positive things
about the BIA.
There are ample constructive things to
report on in the Village, but some members of the community maintain that the
neighbourhood is increasingly divided —
gay versus straight, condo owners versus
renters, independent businesses versus
chain stores, nightlife versus shopping
destination. Many of these competing
interests are not mutually exclusive, but
if the BIA is to make them work together,
its board members need to take their fingers out of their ears and stop shouting,
“I can’t hear you.”
Scully lives near the Village and has
25 years of experience running a project
management and media relations busi-
ness, so his employment could also be
an opportunity for the neighbourhood.
This is especially true as the BIA, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and The 519
implement several projects in advance
of WorldPride, everything from new flags
and banner poles to a rainbow-coloured
crosswalk (see page 12).
Glen Sanderson, owner of Distinct
Hair Design on Maitland Street, says
the BIA comes up with lots of new ideas,
but it lacks strategic planning that takes
into consideration the diverse marketing needs of local businesses. He thinks
the BIA rolls out too many incongruent
projects that don’t fit into a wider, longterm business plan for the area. He’d also
like to see less money spent on one-day
events like Halloween and more spent
on attracting new businesses to the shuttered storefronts, or on initiatives like the
streetside parklet patio project, which
the BIA cancelled after one year. “It’s
easy to throw a party,” he says. “Harder
is pursuing marketing and getting new
clients for the area.”
But, of course, Sanderson’s is just one
view; other business owners will argue
that the BIA should increase the amount
it spends on street parties. This cacophony of opinions about the Village has often
translated into inaction, most recently
illustrated by the abandoned project to
improve the corner of Church and Alexander streets. Wong-Tam says that while
there’s money for a bold new plan for the
busy corner, stakeholders couldn’t agree
on a design, so they get nothing instead.
It’s admirable that our councillor
strives for unity, except it’s unlikely she’ll
find it in the diverse neighbourhood.
Surely all the stakeholders involved didn’t
agree on the plan for each wall painting
in the mural project or the design for
the rainbow gateway markers, yet these
initiatives somehow were implemented.
Mychol Scully has his work cut out for
him, but if he’s able to encourage the right
blend of Wong-Tam’s consensus-building
with the BIA’s ability to generate new
ideas, he might just succeed at helping the
BIA bring new life to the Village.
Youth homelessness
We need a system of housing for
troubled youth that gives them
a place to stay when they’re kicked
out of the nest early.
dailyxtra.com
EDITORIAL
DANNY GLENWRIGHT
FEEDBACK
More at
New blood at the BIA
email [email protected]
comment dailyxtra.com & facebook/dailyxtra.com
tweet @dailyxtra
Young Torontonians
share their stories of
homelessness E8
10 GREAT
ISLANDS
E
24
Out on the
STREETS
such stories have you read or seen
where a young male character fools
around with another man in his youth
but ends up forming a long-term relationship with a woman (Maurice, etc).
Even the Netflix series House of Cards
has such a storyline. Alternatively,
how many stories have you read or
seen where a young male character is
initially in a supportive relationship
with a woman but ends up leaving her,
coming out of the closet and engaging
in a series of failed relationships with
other men — while ending up being
alone (Making Love, A Smile in His
Lifetime, etc).
BRENT S
TORONTO, ON
Church Street
Church Street isn’t starting to look
like Yorkville — it’s starting to look
like the commercial part of Queen
West or the Annex [“Signs of Life
Returning to Church Street, Sort Of,”
Xtra #768, April 3]. There is lots of
urban convenience but no particular
character. The new dry-cleaner with
locker service instead of actual staff
is symbolic of much of downtown
Toronto these days: no personal interaction required. Loblaws’ checkout is
like an automobile assembly line. At
most of the food shops in the neighbourhood, you’re lucky to get a hello
or thank-you from the staff. Today at
Church and Wellesley, a group of six
heterosexual street people and their
two dogs were having a drunken party
on the sidewalk all afternoon. This is
supposed to be a “gay” Village? Not
anymore. Toronto’s gay community
is so disparate and insular I would
caution every young lesbian and gay
boy in Canada to avoid Toronto. You’ll
live a hard, lonely life in this city. The
gay village of the early 2000s Queer as
Folk era is dead and gone. The only
gays left are depressed middle-aged
men who’ve been here since the ’80s.
In 10 years I’ve not seen one new gay
club or gay restaurant open in the Village, only close down or move away.
RYAN
TORONTO, ON
A bank, a dry-cleaner and a fast-food
joint don’t sound like a “return to life”
to me. Of course areas change, but I
always thought Church and Wellesley would remain the gay mecca of
Canada. It seems to me things started
to change for the worse when Kristyn
Wong-Tam took over. She has tried
to make over Church Street to her
liking, which means driving gay men
out of the area.
KEVIN BROWN
TORONTO, ON
Proud FM
I think a more relevant technical issue
is Proud FM’s refusal to provide a nice
normal M3U file so that we can stream
the station in whatever software we
choose, including iTunes [“Proud FM
to Boost Signal Strength in ‘Gaybourhoods,’” dailyxtra.com, April 7].
JOE CLARK
TORONTO, ON
Trans daughter
Love is unconditional [“My Butch
Daughter Is Trans,” dailyxtra.com,
April 6]. Hate picks fights. Hate doesn’t
understand differences. Hate has no
personal experience to draw from.
Hate is learned. Love asks questions
about the experience. Love takes time
to listen and understand. Love always comes through because it knows
it brings people together. Love is a
mother’s instinct.
BARRY WILLIAM TESKE
TORONTO, ON
XCETERA
Sushi
A BIWEEKLY HELPING
OF POP CULTURE,
SERVED À LA CARTE
Gaelen Patrick
Real Estate Sales Representative
Rarely Offered
Steam Plant Lofts!
10 Wellesley Place
FROM THE PTP ARCHIVES
20 YEARS AGO
Bee sting
XTRA #247, APRIL 15, 1994
According to a
Cornell University
study, the three
worst places to be
stung are the nostril,
the lip and the penis.
“When the Toronto Sun says that we’re the
radical fringe, they are perfectly correct,” explains
Queerculture producer Sky Gilbert. In its sixth
year, Queerculture has transformed into an
autonomous organization from Buddies, after the
previous year’s controversies.
Severed penis
Chinese doctors were
unable to reattach a
man’s penis because
he forgot to bring it
with him when he
biked to the hospital.
OUT ON THE STREET BY KYLE BURTON
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what would your superpower be?”
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‘Prescribe-a-Bike’
Doctors at the
Boston Medical
Center are writing
prescriptions for
memberships to the
Hubway bike-sharing
program to get
patients moving.
Marco
Alisha
Richard
Hana
SOUND DESIGNER
SOCIAL-SERVICE
WORKER
ART DIRECTOR
BANKER
Mind control.
Make people
more tolerant . . .
of everything.
I think I would have
batlike hearing.
I’d be a way better
sound designer.
The ability to fly;
I would never take
the TTC again.
QUOTABLE
It’s insane that civil
rights are being denied
people in this day and
age. It’s embarrassing,
and it’s heartbreaking.
It goes without saying
that I’m completely
in support of gay
marriage. In 10 years
we’ll be ashamed that
this was an issue.
— Chris Evans (aka Captain America)
in an interview with Playboy in 2012
Boston
Actor David Walton’s
hometown.
Burlesque
Walton plays
“Mark the DJ” in
the 2010 film.
Cher
The star of Burlesque
and currently on
the road with her
Dressed to Kill tour.
$312
Average price for a
ticket to Cher’s show
in Philadelphia.
Tetris
A supersized
version of the
video game
was recently played
on the face of the
29-storey Cira Centre
in downtown Philly.
Supersized
Name of a photo
book by Giovanni
that showcases a
series of “enormous
cocks.”
ElephantTube
A website dedicated
to well-endowed
men and their
admirers.
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 5
6 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Upfront
It’s three blocks that gets a lot of attention ... That’s a lot
for one neighbourhood. Kristyn Wong-Tam E 12
TDSB votes to
reaffirm support
for Pride
Controversial motion calling for
parade nudity crackdown fails
PRIDE NEWS
DYLAN C ROBERTSON
Toronto District School Board trustees
voted to reaffirm the board’s support
for Toronto’s Pride festival in a brief
but impassioned debate April 9. Trustees swiftly defeated a controversial
motion targeting nudity at the Pride
parade and followed this with messages
of support for LGBT people.
“You could feel there was a collective
understanding of our struggles,” says
Joy Lachica, a Grade 8 teacher with
the TDSB. “It really resonated with me.
I wasn’t expecting it.”
Lachica was among approximately
25 demonstrators who arrived with
protest signs and rainbow bracelets to
NEWS BRIEFS
Proud FM to boost
signal strength
in ‘gaybourhoods’
The Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission approved Evanov Radio Group’s application to boost Proud FM’s signal strength
in downtown Toronto in a decision
released April 3.
The decision means that Proud FM’s
signal will become more reliable and will
reach a wider audience in the city.
“Our transmitter right now is at
Yonge and Eglinton. We’re moving it
to a location downtown, closer to the
Village, Queer West, Leslieville — closer
oppose a motion proposed in March.
That motion would have formally requested that the city enforce public
nudity laws at the WorldPride parade
in June. Trustee Sam Sotiropoulos
launched the proposal, noting that the
board has a contingent in the parade,
which he feels is not a “family-friendly
event.” The motion was delayed at a
March 5 meeting, giving his supporters
and detractors time to launch letterwriting campaigns.
The Campaign Life Coalition, a major political group in Canada’s antiabortion movement, had published
an “action alert” asking its followers
to show their support for the original
motion. Fewer than five people from
the group were visible within both audi-
to areas we’ve identified as gaybourhoods,” says Bob Willette, programming director at Proud FM. “It should,
theoretically, improve our coverage to
those areas.”
The CRTC decision allows Evanov to
increase its average effective radiated
power from 50 to 107 watts and change
the antenna’s radiation pattern from nondirectional to directional — 50 watts has
proven too weak to penetrate downtown
Toronto’s forest of condos.
Proud FM’s inability to obtain a
stronger signal had been a difficulty
in securing audience and advertisers
in the past. The CRTC had previously
approved similar changes in 2010, but
Proud FM was unable to secure a lease
on a new transmitter site.
Willette says that while there’s no
official launch date for the new signal
power, “it’s a priority for the company
The Toronto District School
Board contingent in the 2012
Toronto Pride parade.
ADAM COISH
that we launch as fast as possible.”
Proud FM can also be heard via
its app and streamed via its website,
proudfm.com. —Rob Salerno
Church-Wellesley
Village BIA names
new general manager
The Church-Wellesley Village BIA has
appointed Mychol Scully as its new
general manager after the acrimonious
departure of its previous general manager, David Wootton.
Scully, who lives a short walk from
the neighbourhood, comes to the BIA
with 25 years of experience running his
own project management, event planning and media relations business. He
ence areas, which were mostly pink as
part of a board-endorsed national day
against bullying.
A new motion, proposed by Trustee
Maria Rodrigues, reaffirmed the TDSB’s
support for Pride and queer students.
After an hour of debate, vote counting
It really
resonated with
me. I wasn’t
expecting it.
JOY LACHICA, TEACHER
is also an active volunteer with LGBT starting from scratch. I’m just working
community organizations, including through the process to make sure the
the Inspire Awards and the Imperial BIA’s component of the festivities is
Court of Toronto.
taken care of. It’s excit“I am a big proponent
ing,” Scully says.
of the living, breathing
BIA co-chair Liz Devine
Village,” Scully says. “I
says that the organization
very rarely read any of
was looking for a manthe Debbie Downer meager who can carry out the
dia that continues to talk
BIA’s ambitious plan for
about the death of the
better communications
Village. I don’t believe
and big events. The BIA’s
the Village is dying. It’s
previous general managcertainly changing, and I
er, David Wootton, says
think the BIA needs to be
he was dismissed after
Mychol Scully
able to respond to that in
he criticized the board’s
an intelligent way.”
direction, in particular
With WorldPride launching in just its focus on big events like the Pan Am
over two months, Scully will have his Games. —Rob Salerno
hands full getting the neighbourhood
For more on these stories,
ready for its international debut.
go to dailyxtra.com.
“A lot of work is in progress, so I’m not
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 7
COVER STORY
BULLY
PULPIT
Now that gay people are part of
the establishment, are we abusing
our newfound power?
BY JUSTIN LING
ILLUSTRATION BY SISSYDUDE
I TRIED TO STIFLE A LAUGH.
“The activists don’t bring up marriage first of
all; they start with one thing, then they move on
to something else. Before you know it, they want
same-sex marriage, then they want equality of
adoption, then they want to promote homosexuality in schools. That’s the process.”
That was Diane Watts, a researcher and spokesperson for REAL Women of Canada, a socially
conservative advocacy organization that I’ve
profiled on numerous occasions. I was speaking
to her on the evening that her group threw down
the gauntlet over Foreign Affairs Minister John
Baird’s “promotion” of homosexuality abroad.
(Baird had criticized Uganda and Russia for passing anti-gay legislation.)
“We value the family, and our institutions have
been changed because of the homosexual activism,” Watts told me.
Their views, of course, were readily brushed
off. Every metre of their rhetoric was laughed
at. How drôle.
Some comments were wry: “Why don’t they go
off and suck up to their fundamentalist patriarchal
and gay-hating friends in the Taliban?”
8 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
But 10 years ago, that rhetoric was pretty well
commonplace. Politicians and proselytizers alike
warned of the “homosexual lobby” and of the
dystopian hellscape that would exist if gays kept
receiving substantive, broader rights.
They were right, in the end; there really was a
gay lobby, and it was damned effective.
That lobby made sure that our rights were not
just an ebbing of the tide but became the core
of our progressive society. Where the gay community was once a marginalized faction, we are
now a part of the establishment. Where once the
state worked to stunt our movement, it now fights
other states who do the same.
While the struggle continues for smaller minorities within the queer community — trans
people, for example — it is now blasphemy to
advocate standing still on gay rights, let alone
taking a step back.
From the bathhouse riots to grassroots organizing and ACT UP, we made it into the courts
and eventually stuck our foot in the door of the
political system.
But in this round of musical chairs, there is one
group left standing.
John McKay
Ted Bird
John McKay is the federal Liberal member of
Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood.
In his 17-odd years as an MP, he’s come to be
known as a sharp policy mind and as a dedicated
social conservative. He was a member of the
ever-shrinking pro-life caucus and was offside
on his government’s stated position on the gay
marriage vote. McKay, an evangelical Catholic,
argued that legalizing gay marriage would hurt
the institution and increase divorce rates. He
didn’t end up voting against his government’s
bill; he abstained.
When discussing his support for a study to
examine when human life begins — seen as a
backdoor into regulating abortion — he told Sun
News that his contrarian position on the issue
made things “awkward” at times. “I don’t like to
go against my colleagues or the platform of the
Liberal Party. It is not a lot of fun,” he said. But,
he continued, “I think my opinion should count
for something.”
But McKay’s opinions have become less the
convictions of one man and more the indictment
of a political party. In the last week of the Toronto
Centre federal by-election, Liberal MP Chrystia
Freeland, then just a candidate, posted a picture
in which she had her arm around McKay. That
set off the ire of Justin Stayshyn, who works for
the Ontario NDP.
“It may come across as a bit odd to have a
candidate for the riding with Canada’s highest
proportion of LGBTQ people posing with her arm
around a guy with a long record of opposing gay
rights,” he wrote on his blog. He also took to Twitter to flatly suggest that Freeland’s support for the
queer community ought to be in question. Other
partisans joined the pile-on, especially thanks to
the awesome power of social-media groupthink.
Freeland’s repeated and emphatic support for
gay rights was irrelevant in the context — touching a man who opposed gay marriage eight years
ago somehow taints that support, like he was afflicted with a terminal virus. Like a leper. Merely
touching him could communicate the contagion
and turn you, too, into a virulent homophobe.
This isn’t just one-off partisan opportunism — though it is certainly that, as well — it’s
symptomatic of a shift. Bring up Employment
Minister Jason Kenney in queer company and
you’re sure to hear some mumbling of “self-hating
gay.” (There is no evidence of Kenney being gay,
for the record.)
Kenney opposed gay marriage while the debate was had. When it was over, he muted his
objections. Whether he opposes it now or not is
immaterial — if he ever vocalized it, his political
capital would plummet. And continuing to chide
Kenney, or any other federal politician, over his
past non-support of gay marriage dwarves, in a
way that is emblematic of a long narcissistic streak
in the cisgendered gay community, the fact that he
refused to support the federal Trans Rights Bill.
The gay community has a chip on its shoulder
from the politicians and preachers that it once
fought, passing it off as a never-again mentality.
That’s bunk.
It’s not a popular opinion, but it’s true: the gay
lobby has become the bully.
Ted Bird was a morning radio host on Montreal’s
TSN 990.
In July, I was about to hop on the metro in
Montreal and head to a panel discussion on a
friend’s podcast about the Sochi boycott. I got a
message pointing me to Bird’s blog, so I gave it
a read. “Gay rights have evolved into a political
issue in North America, but in many parts of the
world it’s still a moral issue, and it’s no one’s place
to impose their moral standards on someone else’s
culture,” Bird waxes.
“Russia will evolve at its own pace. It always has,
and always will. In the meantime, calls to boycott
all things Russian from vodka to nesting dolls to
Olympic Games because Bill can’t hold Bob’s hand
at the Olympic Village in Sochi are as dubious as
they are impractical,” he concluded in his on-air
remarks, the text of which appeared on the blog.
I posted the link to Twitter and hopped on the
metro. When I got out, it had turned into a tweet
war between Bird and the rest, myself included
— the situation in Russia is dire, we pointed out,
and that’s nothing to take lightly.
But the effigy burning of Bird went further.
The bare-knuckles boxing match culminated in
repeated calls, including from some other radio
personalities in the city, to have Bird fired. It
also included a blog by Adam Goldenberg, Kirby
Simon Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School
and former Liberal speechwriter, in Maclean’s.
“Why do we tolerate statements by sportscasters
about the persecution of LGBT people in faraway
places that we would instantly condemn if they
were about any other group?” Goldenberg wrote.
Later, he concluded, “Homophobia’s defenders
have a right to their opinions, and to express them
how they wish, but the rest of us are just as entitled
to demand that their patrons stop paying them
to do so. We should hold advertisers and station
owners accountable for what they’re sponsoring.”
Homophobia? Is that what Bird’s views are?
In another version of history, one where gay
rights were still but a marginal notion, would gay
advocates — such as myself, or Goldenberg — be
chased off the airwaves for suggesting that Russia
shouldn’t be implementing such laws? Would that
call-to-arms target us? Is it really free speech if
you can expect pitchfork-wielding townspeople
after you, and your livelihood, for each controversial opinion you express — even if it is odious?
Bird’s views may force the hair on the back of
our necks to stand up, but they are not akin to
taking to air with the view that Russia’s Jewish
population should be rounded up. In that regard,
some want us to have it both ways — they want us
to be considered normalized, and accepted, yet
still maintain that we are a political movement.
Rest assured, we are very much a political
movement. And political movements can expect
opposition. Which is why we must continue to
agitate and reach out instead of trying to sublimate those who speak out.
I sent Bird an email and invited him for coffee.
We met up at an ungodly early hour at the Tim
Hortons in Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport.
continued next page E
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 9
E continued from previous page
I asked him why he decided to opine on the
gay issue at all.
“The more I read about calls for a Sochi boycott,
the more I thought, ‘Well, a boycott doesn’t do
any good.’ We’ve seen that historically. Then the
other angle of it, of course, is what I perceived
as the automatic assumption that anyone who
is not vehemently and unconditionally opposed
to the Russian laws is automatically a bigot and
a homophobe,” Bird said.
Bird says he’s not necessarily in favour of the
Russian laws — and certainly doesn’t excuse the
violence against the minorities there. He says
he wanted to offer some perspective on those
who did hold conservative, moralist views on
homosexuality but who don’t necessarily hate
gays. People like his family.
Acknowledging that it sounds like a classic
“one of my best friends is gay” defence, Bird told
me the story of his openly gay cousin who died
of AIDS in 1986. While Bird says his family may
not have been entirely onside with his cousin’s
sexuality, they still loved him, in a time when that
wasn’t the norm.
But those people, the ones who did not evolve
on the matter as fast as society at large, are painted
as homophobes.
Bird never said anything homophobic, or even
anything tremendously controversial, in his post.
He tells me he’s largely indifferent to most questions concerning homosexuality — he accepts
it’s biological and calls initiatives like You Can
Play “terrific.”
He did, however, fail to entirely condemn the
legislation, like most people. That, apparently, is
grounds to have him fired.
He calls it a “lynch mob mentality.”
And maybe it is.
Bird wasn’t the only one who faced the wrath
of the Sochi boycott crew. During the Games, a
gaggle of Canadian athletes dared to take selfies
with Russia’s autocrat-in-chief, Vladimir Putin,
and post them on social media. Their comments
were fawning and perhaps a little undignified.
But the responses were swift and exact — those
selfies are homophobic.
“You’re all dead to me,” wrote one Canadian
gay rights activist, epitomizing a wrong-headed,
albeit well-intentioned, campaign to demonize
the athletes.
All in all, Putin’s anti-gay law is odious and
contrary to the fundamental right to freedom
of expression. But is it not less extreme than his
decades-long campaign against the Chechens that
has claimed thousands of lives? And what of his
considerable support for the iron grip of ousted
Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych? Or,
perhaps, his obstruction that is costing thousands
of Syrians their lives?
How is it that when a Canadian athlete hugs
Putin it is an endorsement of homophobia but
not of a genocidal foreign policy? And how have
we expended so much energy in attacking fellow
Canadians who never signed up to be activists?
Energy that could be better spent on lobbying
efforts for struggles that have obtained hardly
a modicum of the attention that we focused
on Sochi — like in Uganda, where gay rights
group GEHO is struggling for resources as the
state enforces draconian new laws that threaten to elevate state-sanctioned homophobia to
10 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
government-sponsored cleansing. Similar horrors are repeating themselves in Gambia, Nigeria,
Kenya and elsewhere.
How is it that selfies are the real issue?
Perhaps it’s because we feel threatened at the
first sight of seeing fellow Canadians not fitting
into the narrative that we’ve demanded of them.
It is a very recent phenomenon, demanding
that society at large need not just stop beating us,
nor just tolerate us and not even just accept us,
but that they have to like us. The queens ducking
batons at Stonewall didn’t give a shit who liked
them. We shouldn’t, either.
Quite the opposite: we
should revel in the fact that
nobody can defend or propose
homophobia in this country
and that we have to read into
a selfie or a vague on-air rant
on early-morning sports radio
to delineate even a whiff of
anti-gay attitude.
Bird was fired, in the end,
but he says it has nothing to do
with his on-air pontificating.
Bill Whatcott
Bill Whatcott is a socialconservative activist from
Toronto.
In 2013, the Supreme Court
fined him $7,500 for dropping
leaflets into mailboxes in Saskatchewan. Those leaflets, the
court decided, contravened
the Saskatchewan Human
Rights Code. They further
saddled him with the legal
costs of his opponents. During
his long run-in with the state,
Whatcott has even seen the
inside of a Calgary jail cell.
Whatcott’s flyers — and his
almost comedic sandwich
boards warning of the dangers of homosexuality — certainly bridged on hateful, and
they were entirely incorrect.
They warned of the horrifying
sexually transmitted diseases
that, he contends, are thanks
to the vile homosexuals.
Civil liberties groups intervened in the Supreme
Court decision, arguing that
Whatcott’s freedom of speech
ought to be protected.
“In their view,” wrote Justice Marshall Rothstein, delivering the unanimous
decision of the court, “speech that is made in good
faith and on the basis of the speaker’s religious
beliefs should be given greater protection.”
But Egale Canada, the country’s premier gay
rights group, argued that even someone’s deepseated beliefs can be dangerous — they argued
that Whatcott marginalized the opinions of sexual
minorities.
This seems absurd when you consider that
Whatcott is one man, facing a crushing majority of
pro-gay Canadians. He’s no more likely to sway the
population to backtrack on their overwhelming
support for gay rights than a forum post on neoNazi website Stormfront will convert the broader
population into anti-Semitic racists.
Egale made the case that people like Whatcott
present a danger and their opinions could inspire
others to violence against the gay community.
One of the best arguments against that idea,
however, comes from an unlikely duo — noted
conservative commentator Ezra Levant, channelling the ideas of former Egale head Gilles
Marchildon, to the House of Commons committee
on justice and human rights.
“Marchildon was asked why he didn’t want to
ban anti-gay speech, even the
most vicious kind. He gave
three reasons why he was for
freedom of speech,” Levant
told the committee.
“One, he wanted to know
who the bad guys were so he
could isolate them and argue
against them. Two, he wanted
what he called a teachable
moment: ‘Look, people, we
just saw an act of bigotry; let’s
reeducate people on why that
was wrong.’ Three, which I
think may be the most important, he did not want to
outsource his civic duty to
some bureaucracy.”
Whatcott was certainly isolated. Yet, rather than just
leaving him be to espouse his
ill-informed insanity in peace,
they went after him. He was
dragged through the courts,
flogged and even put inside
a jail cell. His finances were
destroyed; his life, essentially,
ruined.
And for what?
IT IS A VERY RECENT
PHENOMENON,
DEMANDING THAT
SOCIETY AT LARGE
NEED NOT JUST
STOP BEATING US,
NOR JUST TOLERATE
US AND NOT EVEN
JUST ACCEPT US,
BUT THAT THEY
HAVE TO LIKE US.
On winning
the fight
The absurdity of it all is that
we’ve won.
Not every member of the
queer community. Far from
it. And hardly all of our brothers, sisters and fellow queer
people worldwide have experienced the same victory
that we have.
But if we’re talking about
middle-class white gay men in
Canada? Hell, we arguably have it better than the
average straight guy. That’s not a comfortable, or
perhaps even conceivable, thought for a population so well trained in cultural guerrilla warfare.
Violence still occurs and discrimination still
happens, but we don’t solve that by rooting out
every homophobe and destroying them.
Xtra knows better than anyone. On Jan 5, 1978,
charges were brought against the paper’s predecessor, The Body Politic, and its parent company,
Pink Triangle Press, for publishing “immoral,
indecent and scurrilous material.”
Those charges stiffened the editorial backbone
of the publisher. “They reinforced our opposition
to state censorship as a form of social control —
even control of material that might be controversial within our own communities,” Pink Triangle
Press’s website reads.
It was an uphill battle from then on. You can
find online a rather unnerving list of attacks on
this paper by the Toronto Sun, which, in retrospect, verge on the comically absurd.
But the spirit of the paper, which would eventually become Xtra, survived. Its position is
cemented as an utterly normal, mainstream
publication. And it has maintained an editorial
position that emphatically refuses to gang up on
the little guy — even if that little guy doesn’t fit
into the queer-friendly line that it commits to.
At the end of the day, where does it end? Do we
go after every person who actively works against
us — like Diane Watts and REAL Women? Do we
destroy every funder of anti-gay movements —
like Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich? Do we attack
everyone who speaks out or makes a one-off
comment — like Ted Bird or reality-TV bachelor
Juan Pablo?
Where does it end?
Institutionalized homophobia, transphobia,
racism or discrimination should always be fought.
But teasing out the personal convictions of anyone
and using it as a basis to take them out? That’s
exactly what we experienced, and we know how
oppressive it feels.
The queer community won its rights — and
will continue to win its rights — by engaging the
debate and winning. We won’t cement those rights
in place by turning around and taking shots at
those who haven’t come around to seeing us as
normal, yet.
And we don’t reduce violence by engaging the
state to attack our enemies. We do the opposite.
Gay rights are not a lucky break brought about
by fooling the populace at large. Gay rights are
not a fragile peace that can be broken by a man
in a sandwich board with a strongly worded
leaflet. Gay rights are the product of decades
of struggle, and if you think a few holdouts are
going to threaten that, you have another think
coming, sister.
If you want to stand up for closeted youth or
marginalized queer populations or our oppressed
cohorts overseas, do it not by demonizing the few
who don’t like us, but by holding up the millions
who do.
I remember when, back home in Cape Breton,
we held our first Pride parade. There was initially
some nail-biting over the moral preening of a
half-dozen anti-gay protesters assembled, but it
was otherwise uneventful. In the years that followed, as the area’s small gay community became
an integral part of the town, the small crowd dissipated to one man.
The local paper described him as “dressed
neatly and all alone.”
Pride president Peter Steele spoke to the Cape
Breton Post about that neatly dressed man: “We
never mind him being there. Every time he’s
there, we all make it a point to wave and say, ‘Hi,
how are you?’“
We are the majority, now, and we should take a
lesson from our experience as the vocal minority.
We should wave and say, “Hi, how are you?”
To comment on this story,
go to dailyxtra.com.
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XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 11
New projects underway in Village
New banners, gates, crosswalks, info pillar on tap for
Church-Wellesley neighbourhood — but no parklets
COMMUNITY NEWS
ROB SALERNO
As construction season gears up for
2014, residents of the Church-Wellesley
Village can look forward to a host of new
neighbourhood projects — both to get
the Village ready to host WorldPride
and to leave a lasting legacy afterward.
These will include new flags and banner poles to identify the neighbourhood
as the Village and market WorldPride
throughout downtown, the installation
of a new “information pillar” at Church
and Wellesley, and new permanent
gates that can be used to close the street
during festivals. This is in addition to
previously announced improvements
and projects under construction, such
as a new rainbow-coloured crosswalk,
the renovation of Cawthra Park and
the sidewalk in front of the 519 Church
Street Community Centre, the completion of the Church Street Mural Project
and the installation of new bike lanes.
It all amounts to a lot of work going
into the neighbourhood, which Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam attributes to
the city’s efforts to get it ready for the
world’s attention during WorldPride
and the Pan Am Games. “It’s three blocks
that gets a lot of attention,” she says.
“That’s a lot for one neighbourhood.”
One project residents won’t be seeing
is last year’s popular Church Street “parklets.” The temporary wooden sidewalk
extensions will remain in storage this
year unless the Church-Wellesley Village BIA can find another BIA willing
to rent them. The BIA doesn’t have the
funds to pay for their installation and
maintenance this year, and they’d be in
the way of needed water-main upgrading
scheduled for August and September.
BIA co-chair Liz Devine could not confirm whether the parklets would be back
in 2015. Instead, businesses on Church
are being given the option to extend their
patios onto the sidewalk during Pride
Week for 2014, and Wong-Tam says “six
or seven” have applied for the extensions.
Church Street will be closed for a
street party for both weekends of WorldPride — a first for the festival. The BIA
hopes the first weekend will have more
of a community feel and is sponsoring
an art tour of the neighbourhood that
will show off the Church Street murals,
as well as art that will be installed in
storefront windows throughout the
neighbourhood. “The first weekend of
WorldPride is going to be very neighbourly, getting to know your Village and
focus on residents and community and
local celebrations,” Devine says. “I’m
really looking forward to being able to
showcase that.”
Meanwhile, another project appears
to have fallen by the wayside. WongTam says she’s dropped efforts to animate the large public space at the corner
of Church and Alexander streets, which
were touched off when the removal
of benches from the space caused an
outcry. Wong-Tam says neighbours
were unable to agree on a design for
the corner, but the city still has funds
set aside for the project should they
The popular “parklet” project will not be rolled out this year because the ChurchWellesley Village BIA does not have enough money to pay for it. ADAM COISH
come to agreement. “[Residents and
neighbours] need to gather consensus
amongst its membership, speak to the
residents, determine whether they have
some form of consensus, then work
together,” she says.
The BIA has also had a plan for years
to improve and expand the sidewalks
throughout the Village, which would
add more permanent seating and trees.
The BIA had planned to time this work
with the city’s water-main and road
work, but it no longer has time to raise
the necessary funds or complete the required environmental assessment before
water-main work begins this summer.
The BIA and The 519 have together
secured funds for several of the improvements, including the new banners and
gates. These come from development
charges and sponsorship by the Pan Am
Games and the Yellow Pages.
#news
#arts
#travel
#events
Everything gay, every day.
DAILY
dailyxtra.com
12 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Mother Clap’s mollies
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HISTORY BOYS
MICHAEL LYONS
My roommate, a
queer, trans-identified guy, recently watched an episode of 1 Girl 5 Gays during a cable
trial. The show is pretty selfexplanatory: a straight woman
lords over a rotating panel of
five gay guys who dish on pop
culture and sex. My roommate
was confounded by the content
but more so the dynamic. “Why are
gay men so obsessed with straight
women?” he asked, citing diva worship, celebrity culture and fag hags.
While the terminology — describing a woman who loves gay men — is
contentious, fag hags have a historical
precedent.
In the early 1700s, a married woman
named Margaret Clap, affectionately
referred to as Mother Clap, owned a
popular gay establishment in London.
Mother Clap kept a “molly house,”
catering to dozens of men every night
and even more on Sundays. Though
she served alcohol, probably fetched
from a neighbouring tavern, her house
was likely a private residence or coffee
house, a place for sex and socializing
rather than a bar or brothel.
In the main room she served drinks,
and there were beds in all the other
rooms. “The Chapel,” or “The Marrying
Room,” was a popular feature: a room
on the main floor with a large bed,
overseen by a man known as Eccleston.
There was a door, but it was often left
open so others could observe the
“marrying.”
While little is known about Mother
Clap’s early life, it’s clear she was lovingly committed to her patrons. One
story describes her joking about testifying at the trial of a man named Derwin,
who was up on charges of “sodomitical
practices.” She swore to Derwin’s “good
character,” which so confused the magistrate Derwin was acquitted.
Most of what’s known about Mother
Clap comes from court transcripts. In
Mother Clap’s Molly House, historian
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While little is known about Mother Clap’s early life, it’s clear she was
lovingly committed to the gay patrons of her molly house. JORI BOLTON
Rictor Norton painstakingly reconstructs her downfall, at the hands of a
spurned lover turned police informant.
He brought a constable of the Society
for the Reformation of Manners — a
faction of zealous Christian moral
crusaders — into Mother Clap’s, and
the agent provided evidence against
the matron and her patrons. A raid was
organized and took place in February
1726. In the ensuing trials, the society’s
agent described how the mollies would
sit in each others’ laps, “kissing in a
lewd Manner, and using their Hands
indecently. Then they would get up,
Dance and make Curtsies, and mimic
the voices of Women. ‘O, Fie, Sir! — Pray,
Sir. — Dear Sir. Lord, how can you serve
me so? — I swear I’ll cry out. — You’re a
wicked Devil. — And you’re a bold Face.
— Eh ye little dear Toad! Come, buss!’”
The men would brag about what
they’d gotten up to in the marrying
room: “The Company talk’d all manner
of gross and vile Obscenity in [Mother
Clap]’s hearing, and she appear’d to be
wonderfully pleas’d with it,” the agent
said. When Mother Clap faced a jury
on charges of keeping a disorderly
house, she quipped, “I hope it will be
consider’d that I am a Woman, and
therefore it cannot be thought that I
would ever be concern’d in such Prac-
tices.” Less comical is that in the fallout
of the raids, three men were hanged,
Eccleston died in jail awaiting trial, and
Mother Clap was found guilty, fined,
sent to the pillory (a punishment similar to the stocks), and sentenced to two
years in prison. While displayed in the
pillory, she was treated so harshly by
the public she fainted several times and
was sent to prison in “convulsive fits.”
Newspapers suggested she wouldn’t
survive the ordeal, and that was the
last heard of her.
I imagine Mother Clap as a gregarious, vulgar, witty dame, maybe a bawdy
matchmaker, loved by her patrons as
much as she loved them.
For young gay boys who don’t like
regular “guy” things, straight women
are often our first taste of loving peer
acceptance. I can’t imagine I’d have
survived high school, or even university, without a wonderful group of
women who were my closest friends.
They were a major support when I was
figuring out my sexuality, and I know
my experience isn’t singular. While I’m
not a fan, I would suggest that 1 Girl 5
Gays, in a way, continues the proud
tradition of the fag hag.
History Boys appears in every issue
of Xtra.
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 13
CANADIAN PREMIERE
THE CASE AGAINST 8
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
LADY VALOR:
THE KRISTIN BECK
STORY
D: Ben Cotner, Ryan White
Trace the landmark case that
brought marriage equality to
the US Supreme Court.
D: Mark Herzog, Sandrine Orabona
One decorated Navy Seal’s
challenging transformation into
a life as a transgender woman.
WORLD PREMIERE
BEFORE THE LAST
CURTAIN FALLS
WORLD PREMIERE
SONGS FOR ALEXIS
D: Thomas Wallner
A sumptuous look at the
tumultuous lives of six
aging transvestite and
transsexual performers.
D: Elvira Lind
The struggles of a teenaged
transgendered musician
looking for love.
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
WORLD PREMIERE
D: Jennifer Kroot, Bill Weber
D: Pavel Loparev, Askold Kurov
Pop culture icon and
equal rights activist
George Takei surveys his
fascinating career.
Courageous Russian LGBT
youth fight against Putin’s
homophobic laws.
TO BE TAKEI
CHILDREN 404
FIND FILMS. BUY TICKETS. WWW.HOTDOCS.CA
/hotdocsfestival
/hotdocs
/hotdocsfest
#HotDocs14
Community Media Partner
14 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
OutintheCity
I don’t believe in ‘queering’ definitions, nor in ‘institutions’ like
marriage or family. Writer Paul Aguirre-Livingston E16
MOOREDONNA
To say that performance artist Jimmy Moore is an avid Madonna
fan would be a gross understatement. Moore has been touring
his Material Girl–themed shows across North America for
the last 15 years and will soon hit the stage at Buddies in Bad
Times Theatre, for the very first time, recreating Madge’s wildly
successful MDNA tour.
“I am reproducing the complete MDNA tour. I’ll be onstage with
four dancers for a non-stop, two-hour show,” Moore says. “I’ve done
this show about 15 times in the last year, but it’s the first in Toronto.
I hope people will show up.”
Moore says emulating the Queen of Pop can be cost-prohibitive
at times, considering how often the singer reinvents her look.
“It’s a singer who costs me a lot to impersonate. But you know, she
has brought me so much success, so I don’t mind the investment ...
It’s completely different when I think of my work as Michael Jackson.
He’s dead now, so there’s no possibility of having surprises in
the future.”
In the last 15 years, the Montreal-based impersonator has staged his
shows in New York, Las Vegas and Vancouver. “I really look forward to my
performances at Buddies because I really want to invest the time in Toronto.
I love the city and I love the people. Everybody has been so nice to me.”
— Ryan English
Jmy Mor Does Madonna: The MDNA Tour is Fri, April 25 and Sat, April 26,
8pm, at Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. jimmymoore.ca
Robert Keller brings
the gay to Yuk Yuk’s.
QUEER COMEDY
GOES MAINSTREAM
cultural background and you get Nana, George and
Me, which includes interviews with his nonagenarian grandmother and flamboyant uncle, George,
who divulges sexy secrets from his ostentatious
London mansion (George’s monologue about
foreskin is a highlight).
The final film in the trilogy is a Frenchlanguage documentary called La Longueur de
l’alphabet (The Length of the Alphabet). The film
profiles Canadian writer Naïm Kattan, whose
extensive literary history is interwoven with
archival footage and personal interviews that
detail his experience moving to La Belle Province
early in his career. “For me, Naïm represents the
new generation of Iraqis — that transplanting of
the flower that was cut in Iraq — and watching it
blossom,” Balass says. “I think we’re all like lotus
flowers in that sense. We can float around and
still bloom.” — Ryan Kerr
Toronto has several popular queer comedy
nights — including Queer as Fuck at The
Steady and 120 Wednesdays, a new openmic night at Club120 — but none of them is
what you’d call mainstream. That is, until
now: Robert Keller is set to host a new
monthly queer comedy night at Yuk Yuk’s.
To Keller, it is unacceptable that there’s
no recurring queer comedy show at any of
the major comedy clubs in Toronto. “Not to
diminish [other queer comedy shows], but
we should have a commercial show. Frequently, shows are tip-based, which is fine,
but there should be a platform for queer
comedians to go and get paid,” he says.
Called OUTrageous! With Robert Keller,
the show will take place the last Wednesday of each month. Audiences will file in
to one of our favourite gingers, DJ Johnnie
“Orange Pekoe” Walker spinning pop and
R&B, and each show will begin with Keller
performing a musical number featuring
some eye-candy. “I’m working with two of
the most gorgeous backup dancers you’ve
ever seen, and, naturally, I insist they be
shirtless,” Keller says.
The first show will open with Ian Lynch
(1 Girl 5 Gays and MuchMusic’s New Music
Live) and Ted Morris (CBC’s Stephen and
Chris and CTV’s Comedy Now!), followed
by headliner Gavin Crawford, well-loved for
his current and insightful character-based
comedy. “Getting Gavin is a huge coup, and
we’re thrilled to have him. He’s very busy
and difficult to book. He’s only performed
at Yuk Yuk’s once before,” Keller says. “He’s
sort of not what you’re expecting; he’s
very unassuming, but he’s a perfectionist and does so many interesting things.”
— Jeremy Willard
The Toronto Jewish Film Festival takes place Thurs,
May 1–Sun, May 11. For venues and screening times,
visit tjff.com.
OUTrageous! With Robert Keller is Wed,
April 30, 8pm, at Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond
St W. roberthkeller.com
Jimmy Moore does Madonna.
Jewel of the Jewish Film Festival
The work of Montreal director Joe Balass, whose
contribution to the Jewish cultural oeuvre is
peppered with stories of displacement, resilience and self-acceptance, has been chosen by
the Toronto Jewish Film Festival for its 2014
festival showcase.
Balass has three films screening in the festival,
what he calls his Iraqi Trilogy. All three are documentary features telling stories of fractured identity and the struggle to acclimate to new languages,
cultures and continents. The first to be screened
is the historical Baghdad Twist. In addition to
shedding light on an eradicated population of Iraqi
Jews, Balass humanizes his birthplace, which is
often associated with war. “The film is trying to
imagine a place that no longer exists,” he says.
“The basic premise... is that I saw an old Super
8 film of a wedding in 1965 Baghdad — an Iraqi/
Jewish wedding — where people were dancing
the twist. And then, a couple of years later, people
were being imprisoned and hanged, tortured.
And things deteriorated so rapidly that we were
forced to leave.”
Add a dash of queer to Balass’s already rich
Photos included are from La Longueur de
l’alphabet and Nana, George and Me. JOE BALASS
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 15
All in the family
New anthology examines queer relationships
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BOOKS
SCOTT DAGOSTINO
I once mentioned my family in passing and was stopped in mid-sentence.
“You don’t have kids. You mean your
boyfriend and your dog?”
“Yes,” I said, “My family.”
My memory might be embellishing,
but I think there was an eye-roll at this.
Nevertheless, I have not stopped using
the phrase.
“I think queer people have always
been very good at choosing who they
consider family and creating a much
broader range of what a family can
be,” says Bruce Gillespie, editor of the
new essay collection A Family by Any
Other Name: Exploring Queer Relationships. The fifth in a series of books
from TouchWood Editions
about “the changing nature of the family in the
21st century,” it’s a book
Gillespie felt had become
necessary.
“In some ways, we’ve become complacent about
same-sex rights in Canada
because we’ve had samesex marriage for a reasonably long period of time,”
he says, “but I think it’s
timely to explore where families are
today and how they’re different.”
Gillespie approached a wide range
of queer authors and collected “adoption stories, insemination stories, marriage stories, and I left it open for other
things... I loved getting a story on gay
divorce because I’d never even considered that at first,” he says, also citing Ellen Russell’s powerful story of losing her
partner to cancer as a haunting example.
The book’s gentle blue cover doesn’t
prepare readers for more than a few
harrowing tales of struggle. Xtra’s
managing editor, Danny Glenwright,
reveals how he and his partner endured
racism in South Africa, while journalist
Noreen Fagan writes of the tortuous
process of uprooting her family from
Zambia to Canada, where her son Sebastian declares at Pearson Airport
immigration, “Mum, I like this country.
That was the first time we’ve ever been
called a family.” Jason Dale, a teacher
in Port Dover, writes of his agonizing
struggle to adopt a child from foster
care and “wishing that every parent
was vetted so thoroughly before conceiving or raising children.” Double
standards abound, but, as nearly every
author within asserts, the fight for
ily and says, “I think that if
you’re raising kids, whether
you’re in a same-sex couple,
an opposite-sex couple, a
triad or as a single person,
if you’re raising kids in a way
that consciously resists socialized gender expectations,
then that is queering family
and it’s really crucial.”
Or perhaps not. “I really
enjoyed Dorianne Emerton’s
piece because it challenged my
ideas about relationships and
parenting,” says Vancouver
playwright Rosemary Rowe.
But she disagrees about the
kids. Her essay, “Aspiring
Lesbian Aunt,” is a hilarious
manifesto on not having children. “I didn’t want to come
off like a jerk who’s saying,
“Parenthood, I shit on it! I shit
on your parenthood!” she says,
laughing, but notes, “I love that we’ve
Bruce Gillespie edited
the essay collection,
reclaimed the word queer and I love
the fifth in a series
that we appear to have reclaimed ‘famabout the changing
ily,’ too.”
nature of the family.
Calgary poet and editor Dale Lee
family is worth it, even Kwong says her contribution was caif some of us struggle thartic. “I believe in full disclosure,”
with the definition.
she says. “Secrets create shame, and
“I saw that firsthand I suspect our personal situations are
when I started collecting stories,” Gil- more universal than we realize. I had
lespie says. “One said, ‘You may think I one painful family anecdote I debated
fit what you’re looking for in the word whether to share, and in the end I con‘family,’ but I find that word totally vinced myself it was vital that I didn’t
offensive.’ It’s a word that’s so loaded, hide the incident or candy coat it.”
and it’s been used by the religious right
That kind of honesty and openness
for such a long time, but I wanted this is what Gillespie hoped for with this
book to say that we are family. Whether book, and his contributors rose to
we’re married or in civil unions or the challenge. His only regret is that
polyamorous or monogamous or we the widely praised final piece by trans
have children or we don’t, all these storyteller S Bear Bergman was also
supportive communities of people featured in the author’s own collecwho care for each other are families.” tion Blood, Marriage, Wine and Glit“I find ‘family’ to be a very lovely idea ter, published earlier this year (“His
indeed, but it can also be incredibly book made it to market first!” he says,
restrictive and vindictive,” says Berlin- laughing), but Bergman was delighted
based writer Paul Aguirre-Livingston, to take part in this collection:
whose essay was written over a dismal
“I often hear people say it takes a vilChristmas when his family failed him. lage to raise a child, because that’s the
“I don’t believe in ‘queering’ defini- quote that Hillary Clinton popularized.
tions, nor in ‘institutions’
But I hear from people
A FAMILY BY ANY
like marriage or family,”
who I’d trust to know
OTHER NAME:
he says. “I would suggest
that the actual quote is
EXPLORING QUEER
RELATIONSHIPS
we champion words like
‘It takes a village to raise
Edited by
‘clan’ or ‘household’ or
a villager.’ And that seems
Bruce Gillespie
‘kin.’ Fuck, call it ‘dynasmore true to me, and also
TouchWood Editions
$19.95
ty’ if you want. How’s that
like more of a challenge.
for fabulous?”
What strikes me about
Toronto theatre critic Dorianne the pieces in this book is that many of
Emmerton writes of incorporating these people are doing exactly that — I
a partner’s child into her poly fam- really appreciate their company.”
Check out the
interactive
digital edition
of Xtra Living at
2014
APRIL–SEPT
THE BEST OF
GAY & LESBIAN
TORONTO —
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TORONTO’S
GAY& LESBIAN
NEWS
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 17
ON SCREEN
Equal-marriage activists
demonstrate in front of
the US Supreme Court in
The Case Against 8.
HOTDOCS
HEATS UP
Now in its 19th year, the
Hot Docs festival has grown
to be a major international
showcase for documentary
film, featuring 197 entries
from 43 countries. Here are a
few of the highlights.
BY CHRIS DUPUIS
Dancing in the gardenias
Though it was shot partially in Germany with a cast of Belgians, Thomas
Wallner’s Before the Last Curtain Falls
was born on a train somewhere between
Toronto and Montreal, when Wallner
struck up a conversation with a German broadcaster who urged him to
catch a performance called Gardenia
at Montreal’s Festival TransAmériques.
“The piece was so full of authenticity and very moving,” Wallner says. “It
brought the house down. When they
called to ask if I would consider directing a film based on it, the answer was an
emphatic yes.”
First mounted in 2010, Gardenia was
the creation of choreographer Alain
Platel and director Frank Van Laecke.
It brought together eight elderly gay
and transsexual performers to tell their
stories through movement. After 200
shows in 25 countries, it returned to
Belgium for its final run, and Wallner
arrived to document its last days.
“We felt like intruders,” Wallner recalls. “Lunging into the fray backstage
amidst the cast dressing and undressing. You saw bodies of all shapes and
sizes, ravaged by time. Scars from operations and places where gravity had
done its work. But they had such dignity
about them, a kind of naturalness.”
18 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Supreme Court snowball
When Ben Cotner and Ryan White first
began shooting The Case Against 8, they
weren’t entirely sure they had a film on
their hands. Charting the lawsuit challenging California’s Proposition 8, the
pair’s project began with a basic desire
AXEL SCHNEPPAT
to record history.
“For the first year, there wasn’t any
real conversation about the final product,” Cotner says. “It was about documenting the process in case the lawsuit
snowballed into something historic. It
wasn’t really until the Supreme Court
took the case four years in that we
definitely knew we had a film.”
“It’s not fun shooting 600 hours of
Wallner says. “He was deeply uncomfootage without knowing if you really
fortable with perpetuating the cliché
have a movie,” White adds. “But that
of the lonely old queen, which speaks to
comes with the territory when you’re
this fear of being alone at the
making a film about a court
end of your life. Though none
case.”
HOT DOCS
FESTIVAL
of the characters have found
The story begins on the eve
Thurs, April 24–
love at the end of their lives,
of Nov 4, 2008, the same day
Sun, May 4
hotdocs.ca
you get a strong sense they’ve
Americans elected Barack
found themselves.”
Obama. This is also, of course,
the day Proposition 8 passed, reversing
Before the Last Curtain Falls screens
the California Supreme Court’s deciMon, April 28, 8:30pm at the Bloor Hot
sion from May that year and halting
Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St W, and Tues,
marriages for same-sex couples in the
April 29, 4pm and Fri, May 2, 12:20pm at
state. The Case Against 8 follows the
the TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W.
process in forensic detail, from the
hotdocs.ca
first musings about a lawsuit in a Los
When Vanessa
Van Durme had
her sex-change
operation, she
was looked at as
a monster.
The film blends scenes from the final
performances and interviews with the
cast. We hear stories of coming out, of
working as prostitutes and drag performers, of the men they’ve loved and
hated, and how it is to live out their
golden years. One is a political activist. Another mops floors in a brothel.
Inspired by doing Gardenia, one is now
touring with her own solo show.
Though Gardenia began as a reflection on the gay/trans experience, Before
the Last Curtain Falls is ultimately more
about aging, loneliness and the search
for love. “I told a friend about the film,
and he had a very strong reaction,”
Angeles restaurant, through finding
plaintiffs, selecting a legal team and,
ultimately, through the SCOTUS decision to uphold a lower court’s ruling and
return the right for marriage equality
to the state.
Both the film and the lawsuit hinge on
the odd-couple partnership of Ted Olson
and David Boies, previous adversaries in
the Bush versus Gore political battle in
2000, which ultimately saw George W
Bush become president. As articulated
in the film, the choice to bring together
counsel from both parties in the case
was seen as a means to make marriage
equality a non-partisan issue.
Though the film serves as an in-depth
look at the legal process and the fiveyear record of one group of people’s
lives, for the filmmakers it’s ultimately
something bigger.
“It’s about taking bold, sometimes
risky moves to stand up for your rights,”
Cotner says. “We think that’s a message
that’s universal and that will hopefully
resonate, even in countries like Canada
that are beyond the marriage-equality
debate.”
The Case Against 8 screens Wed, April
30, 10:30am at the Isabel Bader Theatre,
93 Charles St W. hotdocs.ca
MORE QUEER PICKS
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story After decades of fighting
for his country, decorated American Navy SEAL Chris Beck explores
liberty and personal freedom in a new way as he embarks on his most
challenging mission ever: transitioning and beginning life as a woman.
To Be Takei Starship Enterprise helmsman George Takei discusses
his various personas, from William Shatner’s nemesis to gay sex symbol,
while preparing his dream project: a musical based on his childhood
inside a Japanese-American internment camp.
Portrait of Jason Part of the Redux program, Shirley Clarke’s
1967 film tells the story of an African-American street hustler and
aspiring cabaret singer in his own words. Shot over a single 12-hour day
in the subject’s New York living room, this seminal piece of cinéma vérité
explores race and class unlike any film before or after it.
Go to dailyxtra.com for our video coverage of Hot Docs.
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 19
Fabulously FAT
put something on someone so without
them even engaging anybody, they’re
communicating and sending a message.
That has a huge appeal!”
When I ask him what we can expect
to see in his runway show this year, his
answer reveals the philosophy behind
L’uomo Strano: “I started looking past
gender, enquiring what clothing will look
like when gender isn’t an issue. It’s not
specifically menswear... it’s more about
elegance overlaid on the body in ways
that prioritize innovation and functionality. You can wear these clothes practically
and not just for a gala. I’m in love with
leather; I’m in love with leather culture,
and I think it’s fascinating how we interact and bond with leather. You’ll see lots
of leather, satin, sheerness and tulle along
with dynamism and Afro-futurism.”
Much like Zoffranieri, Carter wears
his ambitions on his sleeve. Although
he’s got both age and experience on the
younger designers, he has great respect
for what FAT brings to the city. “Vanja
runs a tight ship,” he says, laughing. “FAT
is accessible in ways that other fashion
experiences — both in Toronto and internationally — are not, which allows for
fashion artists to engage in community
building and dialogue. It’s unique, and
there’s a massive difference in how creativity works here versus other cities.”
There’s that word “versus” again! If
you expect nothing else, expect contrast
to be the name of the game this year.
Whether it’s a debuting
FAT
designer mixing strucTues, April 22–Sat, April 26
ture with softness or
Daniels Spectrum
last year’s champ pitting
585 Dundas St E
leather against satin, FAT
fashionarttoronto.ca
will do what it does better
than any other fashion event in the city:
blaze a path and point the way forward
for designers and consumers alike.
Fashion Art Toronto grows up
TORONTO
AT NIGHT
RYAN G HINDS
Ask around and it seems
Fashion Art Toronto may have officially
grown up this year. A former FAT model
is now competing on America’s Next Top
Model, and the list of established industry folk who’ve been involved during
the event’s formative years continues
to grow. But if you ask me, FAT retains
its scrappy indie cred; the five-day style,
culture and nightlife orgy is nowhere
near being mainstream. Even with a new
venue (Regent Park’s Daniels Spectrum)
and ever-expanding programming, organizer Vanja Vasic is keeping a balance
between alternative artistic expression
and organizational maturity.
That goal is reflected in this year’s
theme of In Fashion/Un-Fashion. Vasic
promises that local fashionistas will
see grit versus glamour, earth versus
industry, and masculine versus feminine
collections writ large on the runway,
guaranteeing that the event will maintain
its distance from the other big fashion
game in town. FAT will never be World
MasterCard Fashion Week, but at the
same time, Fashion Week could never be
FAT — and that’s a very good thing. Don’t
believe me? Just ask this year’s designers.
First-timer Michael Zoffranieri
worked for six months on his collection,
titled Queen, which is “all about encompassing royalty and a modern idea of
power: strong, soft, beautiful. I’m playing
with structured woven fabrics mixed with
softer knits and chiffons, stiff silk with
rabbit fur.” The Ryerson fashion student
has two years left in his program but is
impressively ambitious with his work.
“The community that comes out of FAT is
a warm one. Everyone who shows comes
out a little bit changed, so I want that. I
want to change and share that experience
of changing with other people,” he says,
adding that he feels no pressure about
showing his collection on the runway.
At the other end of the nerves spectrum is returning designer Mic Carter.
“Trying to be innovative and have a
concept and aesthetic that is authentic and not reductive? I absolutely get
nervous!” By day, Carter is a Grade 5/6
elementary school teacher, but by night
he’s the designer behind L’uomo Strano.
He studied fashion at Britain’s Central
Saint Martins College of Art and Design
and is a head-turning local nightlife
fixture. His FAT show last year damn
near shut down the runway and featured
the kind of clothes both fashion writers
and connoisseurs dream about. To say
he exploded onto the scene would be an
understatement; Carter displayed such a
rare blend of editorial vision, impeccable
craftsmanship and to-die-for design skill
that a year later people are still talking
about his collection.
He’s well aware that living up to that
isn’t going to be easy. “I ended up taking
an entrepreneur class, and now I have a
viable business instead of just a passion
project,” he says. “Design allows me to
Designer Mic Carter stole the show at last year’s FAT. Can he do it again?
MIC CARTER (SELF-PORTRAIT)
Toronto at Night appears in every
second issue of Xtra.
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PRESENTING
SPONSOR
Lights! Camera! Auction!
Join us for Inside Out’s
Festival Launch and Silent Auction
as we announce the program for the 24th Annual Toronto LGBT Film Festival
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Burroughes Building
639 Queen St. W.
7:30pm to midnight
Suggested Donation: $10
Hosted by Gavin Crawford
Music by DJ Craig Dominic
# SeeFo
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FOUNDING MEDIA
SPONSOR
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rself
SPONSORS
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 21
Xtra and Tangled Art+Disability bring
you a chance to win a pair of tickets
to Peggy Shaw’s Ruff, part of
the 2014 Tangled Arts Festival,
at Daniels Spectrum, Ada Slaight Hall,
585 Dundas St E, Friday, May 9 at 8pm.
To enter, send your name and phone number to
[email protected] before Monday, May 5.
Some restrictions apply. Only winners will be contacted.
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22 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
WHAT'S ON
Shadows
Based on a true story, Margo
MacDonald’s play looks at the life
of Eva Le Gallienne, a 1930s actress
who, at the height of her career, was
outed in the press and disfigured in
an explosion. Runs until Sat, April 19.
Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. $20; $15
artists, students, unwaged.
videofag.com
FOR MORE EVENT LISTINGS, GO TO DAILYXTRA.COM
ART
Generations of Queer
An exhibition comprising work
by Robert Flack, Elisha Lim, Kiley
May and John Greyson, including
Prison Arabic, a video of flashcards
Greyson drew while imprisoned
in Egypt. Runs until Sat, June 28,
various times. Onsite [at] OCAD
University, 230 Richmond St W.
Free. ocadu.ca
COMEDY & CABARET
Singular Sensation: A
Musical-Theatre Open Mic
Jennifer Walls invites amateur
crooners to perform their favourite
songs accompanied by a live band.
Every Monday, 9:30pm–12:30am.
Statlers, 487 Church St. No cover.
statlers.ca
Shaken, Not Stirred: A
Cabaret Fundraiser
A night of art, comedy and libations
to benefit the School of Toronto
Dance Theatre’s upcoming
graduation and trip to Ottawa for
the Canada Dance Festival. Tues,
April 22, 7:30pm. Buddies in Bad
Times, 12 Alexander St. $8–15.
buddiesinbadtimes.com
David Suchet, best known for
playing the strangely mustachioed
Belgian sleuth Poirot, stars as
Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, a man
who must investigate the sudden
and mysterious death of Pope John
Paul I. Royal Alexandra Theatre,
260 King St W. Sat, April 19–Sun,
June 1, various showtimes. $35–119.
mirvish.com
Brandon the Hypnotist takes
audience volunteers on a risqué
and slightly rude jaunt into the
subconscious. Thurs, April 24, 7pm.
The Flying Beaver, 488 Parliament
St. $10 advance, $15 door.
pubaret.com
Sharron Matthews:
Surprise Night
The beloved cabaret diva performs
whatever tunes suit her fancy. Fri,
April 25, 9pm. The Flying Beaver,
488 Parliament St. $20 advance,
$25 door. pubaret.com
HEALTH & ISSUES
The 519 Legal Clinic
A free, accessible service for lowincome people. Volunteer lawyers
provide legal advice, referrals and
help with forms and letters. The
confidential and private visits
are first-come, first-served. Bring
any necessary documents. Every
Thursday; registration 6–6:30pm.
Gay Trivia
Drag divas Gina Hamilton
and Bunni Lapin host a
night of outrageous trivia
and fabulous prizes.
Every Tuesday, 9pm.
O’Grady’s, 518
Church St. Free.
ogradyschurch.ca
Gender Failure
Theatreworks Bacchanal —
Buddies, Thurs, April 17
The 519 Community Centre, 519
Church St. Free. the519.org
FTM Support Group
Trans men share their experiences
in a supportive environment. Takes
place the first and third Friday of
each month. For more information,
contact [email protected]. Fri,
April 18, and Fri, May 2, 7:30pm. The
519 Community Centre, 519 Church
St. Free. the519.org
SOY Monday
Night Drop-In
Queer youth ages 14 to 29 gather
to watch movies, participate in art
projects and special workshops,
and chat with Supporting Our
Youth’s community mentors.
For more info, contact
[email protected].
Every Monday, 5:30–8pm.
Sherbourne Health Centre, 2nd
floor, 333 Sherbourne St. Free.
soytoronto.org
Positive
Routes to
Recovery
A peer-led
support group
for gay men
working through
substance abuse
issues. Takes place
the first and third
Tuesday of each
month. Tues, May
6, 6–8pm. The
519 Community
Centre, 519 Church
St. Free. pr2r.org
Club120
Wednesday
Standup comedian
Mandy Goodhandy
presents a weekly
open-mic comedy
night. For more
info, contact
toddklinck@
gmail.com. Every
Wednesday, 8pm–
1am. Club120, 120
Church St. No cover.
club120.ca
LEISURE
& PLEASURE
Queer as
Fuck: Comedy
Open-Mic
Catherine McCormick,
the creator of Laughs
at Slack’s, presents a
twice-monthly comedy
night in the west end.
Features such comedians
as Rush Zilla, Adrienne
Fish and Ashley Moffatt.
Wed, April 23, 9:30pm. The
Steady, 1051 Bloor St W.
PWYC. thesteadycafe.com
The Last Confession
Hypnotixxx: A Slightly
Naughty Comedy
Hypnosis Show
Queer Fear:
Elvira, Mistress
of the Dark
Beyoncé vs Rihanna
Burlesque — Club120,
Sat, May 10
In celebration of the first
anniversary of Queer Fear,
the monthly horror-movie
night screens Elvira, Mistress
of the Dark. Macabre attire
is encouraged. Mon, April 21,
8pm. Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave.
PWYC. videofag.com
Play Again?
Gamers gather to play Super
Mario, Tetris and other games
on a big screen, as well as such
board games as Trivial Pursuit and
Scrabble. Every Tuesday, 7pm–2am.
Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W. Free.
henhousetoronto.com
The Mums &
Mums-To-Be Potluck
The monthly family support
program hosts a potluck where
queer people who have or are
planning to have children can
socialize, share information and
celebrate. Sat, April 26, 10:30am–
1:30pm. The 519 Community Centre,
519 Church St. Free. the519.org
Artists Ivan Coyote and Rae Spoon
present a multimedia show about
failed attempts to fit into the gender
binary. This is also the Toronto launch
of their book Gender Failure. Wed,
April 23, 7pm. Gladstone Hotel, 1214
Queen St W. $15. ivanecoyote.com
Cock
The Canadian premiere of the
Olivier Award–winning comedy
about John, a man who, when he
takes a break from his boyfriend,
accidentally meets the girl of his
dreams. Runs until Sun, April 27,
various showtimes. The Theatre
Centre, 1115 Queen St W. $25–35.
studio180theatre.com
Hackerlove
Inspired by Bradley Manning and
Adrian Lamo, Sky Gilbert’s new
play is about a queer love affair
between two fictional characters
in the midst of the 2010 WikiLeaks
scandal. Wed, April 30–Sun, May 11,
various showtimes. Buddies in Bad
Times, 12 Alexander St. PWYC–$30.
SEX & BURLESQUE
Spit Magazine
Play Party
A play party for kinky folks of all
genders and orientations aged 19 to
35. There is also a live porn shoot
for Spit magazine in a sectionedoff area. Mon, April 21, 9pm. Oasis
Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. $15.
oasisaqualounge.com
Dog Play vs Pup Play
In this workshop, Master Tony (ILS
2009) explains the transformation
from human to canine and the
distinction between dog play and
puppy play. No dress code. Sat, April
26, 3–6pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church
St. $10. blackeagletoronto.com
Sapphic Aquatica
Women and trans people enjoy a
sauna, outdoor heated pool, plush
playrooms and ice-breaker games.
Takes place the last Sunday of each
month. Sun, April 27, 8pm–2am.
Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St.
$20. oasisaqualounge.com
Beyoncé vs Rihanna
Burlesque
This A Platinum Production divaoff pitches the songs of Beyoncé
against those of Rihanna to
determine whose best complement
the art of burlesque. Sat, May 10,
10pm. Club120, 120 Church St. $10.
club120.ca
Inside Out
Launch Party
Hosted by Gavin Crawford, the
queer film festival’s official launch
features a silent auction and
music by DJ Craig Dominic. Wed,
April 30, 7:30pm. The Burroughes,
639 Queen St W. $10 suggested
donation. insideout.ca
Punk Rock Bingo
Jenna Syde hosts a night of getting
pissed and playing bingo to punk
rock. All proceeds go to charity.
Wed, April 30, 9pm. The Beaver, 1192
Queen St W. Free. beavertoronto.ca
STAGE
Theatreworks Bacchanal
Eric Morin hosts a saucy Berliner
cabaret to benefit Theatreworks
Productions’ upcoming staging
of Paulo and Daphne. Thurs,
April 17, 7pm. Buddies in Bad
Times, 12 Alexander St. $40–80.
The Last Five Years
This story of a half-decade love
affair is told in two ways: Cathy tells
the story backward and Jamie tells
it forward, and the two meet only
once, at their wedding in the middle
of the show. Runs until Sat, April
19, 7:30pm. The Winchester Street
Theatre, 80 Winchester St. $25
advance, $30 door. thelastfiveyears.
brownpapertickets.com
Gender Failure — Gladstone Hotel, Wed, April 3 ADAM PW SMITH
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 23
CLUBSCENE
Thurs, April 17
St. $10 advance, $15 door.
spearheadtoronto.com
Peepshow DJ Pagano (UK)
makes his Toronto debut spinning
house and circuit beats. Presented
by Prism. 10pm–5am. Coda,
794 Bathurst St. $20 advance.
prismtoronto.com
Deep Endz DJs Eytan Tobin, Young
Bran and Stephen Thrasher spin
house, techno and everything
related. 10pm. The Steady, 1051 Bloor
St W. No cover. thesteadycafe.com
The Smirnoff Best Chest Contest
Sofonda Cox, with Sapphire Titha
Reign, hosts the shirtless boys
competing for $300 in cash prizes.
Prism Pride ticket giveaways. DJ
Mark Falco on decks. Midnight.
Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover.
woodystoronto.com
Fri, April 18
Barbershop: Grease Lightning
Edition DJ Michael K spins for the
guys with slicked-back hair and
leather jackets. 10pm. Henhouse,
1532 Dundas St W. $5 after
10:30pm. henhousetoronto.com
Sissyboy Hissyfit: Big Trouble
with Man Chyna DJ Orange Pekoe
spins top 40, ’90s hits and hip hop for
the Asian-themed night. Performance
by Man Chyna, who’s also serving up
a pan-Asian buffet. 11pm. The Beaver,
1192 Queen St W. $5. beavertoronto.ca
Sun, April 27
Underbear DJ Knight Muzik spins
house and top 40 for the last
Underbear of the season. 50/50
draw and prizes from Northbound
Leather, Iceberg Vodka and Out
on the Street. Proceeds go to
the Toronto People with AIDS
Foundation. 4–10pm. Black
Eagle, 457 Church St. No cover.
blackeagletoronto.com
Jockstrap DJ Deko-ze spins house
and EDM for the scantily clad dudes.
10:30pm. Marquis of Granby, 418
Church St. $10. facebook.com/
jockpartyto
Go Hard: Fourth Anniversary
DJs Blackcat, Pleasure and Lady
Supa on decks. Introducing the Go
Hard “Make It Rain” series, with
performances by Tokyo Blu and
Mr Arquez. 10:30pm. Club120, 120
Church St. $10 before 12:30am, $15
after. club120.ca
Sapphic Aquatica Monthly
bathhouse event exclusively for
women/trans-identified people
looking for fun and safe sex play
in a clean, inviting space. The
last Sunday of every month. No
cis men, please. 8pm–2 am.
Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St.
$20, includes locker and towels.
oasisaqualounge.com
Jockstrap — Marquis of
Granby, Sat, April 19
Tough Customer Cigar Party
LeatherSIR Canada and LeatherSIR/
Leatherboy present their annual
cigar party on the patio. Featuring
a plaster mummification demo by
Master Tony (ILS 2009). 10pm.
Black Eagle, 457 Church St.
DFMO DJs John Caffery
and Produzentin spin for
the dancefloor makeout.
Special performance by
Judy Virago. 10:30pm.
Buddies, 12 Alexander St.
$5. buddiesinbadtimes.
com
Sun, April 20
Thurs, April 24
Woody’s Sunday Hollywoody
Broadway Show, co-hosted by
Tynomi Banks and Sapphire Titha
Reign, with D’Amanda Tension, at
6pm; Old School, hosted by Georgie
Girl, at 9pm; Five Smokin Hot Divas,
hosted by Georgie Girl, with Devine
Darlin, Sofonda Cox, Cassandra
Moore and Jada Hudson, at 11pm.
DJ Blue Peter on decks. Woody’s,
467 Church St. No cover.
woodystoronto.com
Ladyplus Parties DJ Todd Klinck is
on decks for the meet-and-socialize
event for T-girls and their friends.
Spontaneous T-girl go-go shows
and private VIP dances throughout
the night. 8pm. Club120, 120 Church
St. $5 before 11pm, $10 after.
club120.ca
Mon, April 21
Dodgeballer Night The Gay
Ball Society hosts a flirty
social, with DJ Blue Peter
on decks. 8pm. Woody’s,
467 Church St. No cover.
woodystoronto.com
Sat, April 19
Black Eagle Saturday
Torn Rubber Saturday,
with the Toronto
Rubbermen Network
hosting a no-dresscode party for rubber
enthusiasts and
friends, 4–9pm; Daddy
Cool, with DJ Joe
Black spinning original
disco classics (no
remixes), at 10pm. Black
Eagle, 457 Church St.
Tues, April 22
Games Night Eric Cashmore
hosts a night of play and
playing around. DJ Chris
Steinbach spins. 8pm.
Woody’s, 467 Church St. No
cover. woodystoronto.com
Dinner and Drag Race House
of Filth hosts a viewing of
RuPaul’s Drag Race, with Judy
Virago, Igby Lizzard, Allysin
Chaynes and Nancy Bocock.
Untucked follows, and a live
performance wraps things up.
9pm. Henhouse, 1532 Dundas St W.
No cover. henhousetoronto.com
Cherry Bomb DJs
Cozmic Cat and Denise
Benson spin for the ladies
and their friends, with
guest DJ FeelGoodSmalls
spinning hip hop, nu disco and
indie dance. 9pm. Andy Poolhall,
489 College St. No cover before
10pm, $8 after. facebook.com/
cherrybombtoronto
24 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Fly Saturday DJs Kevin Bailey and
Alain Plamondon spin house and
EDM. 10pm–5am. Fly, 8 Gloucester
St. flynightclub.com
Easter Weekend DJs Shawn Riker
and Mark Falco spin house and
EMD. 10pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St.
flynightclub.com
Pop Asia DJ Sumation spins top
40, house, K and J-pop, with VJ
Gary White in the lounge and
a performance by Cassandra
Moore. 10pm. Fly, 8 Gloucester St.
flynightclub.com
Masquerade DJ Cory Activate
spins retro beats for the
official victory party of the
Central Canada LeatherSIR,
Leatherboy and Community
Bootblack Weekend. 9pm–3am.
Erotico Lounge, 461 Church
men. 10pm. Black Eagle, 457 Church
St. $5 before midnight, $10 after.
Wed, April 23
Mighty Real —
The Round,
Fri, April 25
College Night DJs Sumation and
Craig Dominic spin top 40, dance,
EDM and urban for the studious
crowd. 10pm. Church, 504 Church
St. No cover. churchonchurch.com
Woody’s Thursday Launch
party and star-studded
show for A Chorus Queen,
the official drag musical
of 2014 Pride, at 9pm;
The Smirnoff Best
Chest Contest, hosted
by Brooke Lynn
Hytes, with Tynomi
Banks and DJ Mark
Falco, at midnight.
Woody’s, 467
Church St.
No cover.
woodystoronto.
com
Ultimate
Thursday DJ
Craig Dominic
spins top 40,
dance, EDM,
urban, dancehall
and soca beats. 10pm.
Crews & Tangos, 508
Church St. No cover.
crewsandtangos.com
Fri, April 25
Cue Poc DJs Sissy Fuss
and Nik Red spin queer
jams for queer people of colour.
Hosted by Hiba Al-a-Mode. 10pm.
The Beaver, 1192 Queen St W. $5.
beavertoronto.ca
Byzantium ’90s Night DJ Craig
Dominic takes over the monthly
residency, spinning classic
faves. Best ’90s costume wins
a prize. 10pm. Byzantium, 499
Church St. No cover. byz.ca
Regretro DJs Ace of Case, Wei
Back and Party McFly spin for the
queer scream-and-sing-along
dance party. 10pm. Henhouse, 1532
Dundas St W. henhousetoronto.com
Mighty Real DJs John Caffery and
The Robotic Kid spin classic and
nu disco, house and bass, with a
performance by Man Chyna. 10pm.
The Round, 152A Augusta Ave.
mightyreal.net
XXX Men Only DJ Alain
Plamondon spins the
“porn and fuck party you
always wanted.” With
live models, pornstar
show, porn shoot and
darkroom glory-hole
action. A men-only
event the last Friday
of every month.
10pm–4am. Fly, 8
Gloucester St. $8
before midnight.
flynightclub.com
Sat,
April 26
Pop Machine
DJs Shane
Percy and
Aural spin
pop, retro
and dance
classics.
10pm. Wayla,
996 Queen
St E. $5
before 11pm,
$10 after. facebook.com/
waylabarnounge
Sinful Sunday Chow Mein and
Leelando Calrissian perform
burlesque, with an after-show
dance party. 9pm. Cherry Cola’s,
200 Bathurst St. No cover;
tips accepted. facebook.com/
sinfulsundaysburlesque
Mon, April 28
Drag Race Viewing Party Scarlett
Bobo and Daytona Bitch host
the weekly dinner and bitchfest,
with Bradley serving up food and
libation. 8pm. The 8th Deadly Sin, 6
Gloucester St. No cover. the8th.ca
Tues, April 29
Woody’s Tuesday DJ Mark Falco
spins for boys taking advantage
of the low day prices. 8pm.
Woody’s, 467 Church St. No cover.
woodystoronto.com
Wed, April 30
Lights, Camera, Auction Gavin
Crawford hosts and DJ Craig Dominic
spins at the Inside Out launch
party and silent auction. Food and
drinks provided by Urban Source,
Barefoot Wine, Steam Whistle and
Iceberg. 7:30pm–midnight. The
Burroughes Building, 639 Queen St W.
Suggested donation $10. insideout.ca
Club120 Wednesday Open-mic for
comedians, magicians, illusionists
and burlesque performers, with
Mandy Goodhandy. Open-mic
performers must show up before
8:45pm. 8pm. Club120, 120 Church
St. $8, $5 guest list (toddklinck@
gmail.com). club120.ca
Sin DJs Chez and Cory
Activate spin, with the Men
of Sin dancers enticing the
Dinner and Drag
Race — Henhouse,
Tues, April 22
Submit your event listing
to [email protected].
Deadline for the May 1
issue is Wed, April 23.
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 25
1
XPOSED
2
1E Hotnuts had a Betchelorette
3
6
5
4
7
Xposed appears in every other issue of Xtra. For this week’s
Deep Dish column, by Rolyn Chambers, go to dailyxtra.com.
26 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
8
party and invited every single
Queer West player to prance
with them. Max Mohenu got
in the spirit as best as a butch
man can and broke up his
black-on-brown-on-white outfit with a lovely pink lei. You
gotta hand it to him for that
incredible leather and suede
letterman jacket.
2E At first I kinda felt creepy
looking at Michelle’s blacktie Pussy Riot getup, but the
longer I looked the more I
enjoyed it until I’ve arrived
at this sort of staring obsession with her balaclava-clad
Barbie face. It takes one really
hot face to look good with a
nylon stretched over it.
3E Oh, Peg Zilla, you perfect
little creature, you. Peg is
demonstrating the quintessential Best-End craft-drag
look. The shoes on shoes; the
monochrome colouring in
tights, wig and top; the askew
eyebrows and glitter unibrow.
But finally — it’s the crosseyed “this is art” look on her
face that nails it. The true evolution of club kids embodied
in this perfect MacBook ad.
4E Mikiki Mikiki is wearing
all the colours at Hotnuts’
Betchelorette blowout party
at The Garrison. Somehow
it’s not too much. Somehow.
I have to take a moment to
thank Alejandro Santiago for
these incredible pics: Becca
was sick for this one with a really bad bout of that hangover
that’s been going around.
5E Dwayne is looking very
on-point at the AGO’s Mas-
9
ANNA
POURNIKOVA
PHOTOS BY
ALEJANDRO
SANTIAGO &
BECCA LEMIRE
sive 10. There’s a certain
polished look that Toronto
tends to have. It’s not quite
fashion; it’s almost mall. The
haircuts are too perfect, the
jackets never fit, but Dwayne
here works the polish to his
advantage with an extremely
pared-down, simple, but wellconstructed coat and slightly
tousled look. Thanks for not
sucking, bro.
6E Back on the fashion tip:
there were a lot of misses
at Massive 10 this year, but
then again, these corporate
affairs attract all kinds.
Francis Zih was like a fucking
unicorn in that sea of salerack black knock-off and
smart heels. The tailoring
on his jacket alone is worth
a blowjob in a location of his
choosing. The crisp checked
shirt in complementary
green and ruffled necktie
provide a lovely frame for
his “frame”-style fascinator.
Francis wins the award for
best dressed at Massive 10
this year. Hands down.
7E Speaking of blowjobs,
Joseph of Joseph and the
Mercurials is one of those
dudes that everyone loves:
boys, girls — I bet he could
pick up a bull dyke at a pool
hall if he wanted. He’s just got
that charm. And chops, too:
the Mercurials are always a
good bet.
8E Rose, David and Justin
are really partying it up (by
drinking a lot of sponsored
beer) at the AGO. Justin has
been involved in this party in
some way or another for as
long as I’ve known him, and
this year he had a large piece
in the show. I’m also feeling
(begrudgingly, I must admit)
their 2008 throwback style.
There are so many accessories and colours here. It’s like
the glory days of dance music
when money was thrown at
everything.
9E My god, Sarah, what I
would give to be your outfit.
Black leather turtleneck
under light one-shoulder
casual sweater and matching
black fanny pack, anyone?
Could you just die over and
over for her Siouxsie Sioux
sans makeup look and perfect
fringe? Could you?
E xtralivingtoronto.com
Pet Stores &
Supplies
Newbright
Construction
416-985-8639
Helmutt’s
Pet Supply
416-504-1265
Restaurants
& Cafés
Pharmacies
Pace Pharmacy
and Compounding
Experts
416-515-7223
THE BEST OF GAY & LESBIAN TORONTO
Construction
Holiday Inn
Toronto
Downtown
holidayinn.com/
torontocentre
G J MacRae
Foundation
Repair Service
– Since 1975
905-824-2557
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Murdock, CA
416-696-6653
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Construction
416-985-8639
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MBA, MSc, CMA
416-605-1553
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& Renovations
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Raymond Helkio
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+ Design
raymondhelkio.com
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Ken Shaw Lexus
416-776-0055
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Fly Nightclub
416-410-5426
Butchers
St Jamestown
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416-925-7665
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Leslieville
Cheese Market
416-465-7143
Chiropractors
gesund
416-913-5170
G J MacRae
Foundation
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– Since 1975
905-824-2557
Counselling
CareerCycles.com
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416-465-9222
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416-827-7578
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Certified
Counsellor
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(MSW, RSW)
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416-944-1291
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Counselling
416-557-7312
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416-429-0150
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Community
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416-406-6228
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416-466-6400
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416-966-0117
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647-352-8807
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647-208-2884
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905-824-2557
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– Since 1975
905-824-2557
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416-534-9991
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416-920-7387
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416-929-7222
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416-364-9099
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416-860-1668
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Kenton Waterman
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Financial Services
416-860-1668
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416-968-9054
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the Wildside TM
416-921-6112
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647-342-0568
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416-925-7227
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416-860-1668
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Migration Ltd
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at The Mortgage
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Center on Bloor
dermonbloor.com
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Baywatch Ltd,
Brokerage
705-756-7629
Acanac
416-849-8530
Theresa
Forget, Sales
Representative
RE/MAX First
Realty, Brokerage
905-686-3800
Real Estate
Agents
Nicholas Banks
iPro Realty
877-306-4776
Theatre
Buddies in Bad
Times Theatre
416-975-8555
Veterinarians
Blue Cross
Animal Hospital
416-469-1121
Waterproofing
Basement
Waterproofing
G J MacRae
Foundation Repair
905-824-2557
Gaelen Patrick
– Sutton
Group Realty
Systems Inc
416-801-9265
Roy Runions, Sales
Representative
RE/MAX
Hallmark Realty
Ltd, Brokerage
royrunions.com
Renovations &
Restorations
G J MacRae
Foundation
Repair Service
– Since 1975
905-824-2557
Websites
dailyxtra.com
416-925-6665
Squirt.org
Bryant
Renovations
416-260-0818
squirt.org
APRIL–SEPT 2014
Accountants
The Village
Pharmacy
416-967-9221
C’est What?
Brew/Vin Pub
Restaurant
416-867-9499
THE BEST OF
GAY & LESBIAN
TORONTO
THE BEST OF GAY &
LESBIAN TORONTO —
ON YOUR DESKTOP
AND ON YOUR
MOBILE DEVICE!
Check out the interactive
digital edition of Xtra Living at
xtralivingtoronto.com
A taste
of Havana
Handcrafted
wood furniture
Riverdale
café culture
East-end art
institution
XTRA! APRIL 17–30, 2014 27
NEXT BOOKING DEADLINE:
WED, APRIL 23 @ 1PM
Classifieds
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PERSONAL
<<HEADER>>
GROUPS
FRIENDS MALE
Married, Separated or
Divorced Gay Father?
We’re here to support you
on your journey.
Our meetings are informal,
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Gay Fathers meet the second
and fourth Thursday of every
month at 8pm
at the 519 Church Street
Community Centre.
EXPERIENTIAL
EMBODIED
EROTIC EXPLORATIONS
for Men
Weekend Touch Explorations
Full-Day Erotic Experiments
Afternoon Touch Exchanges
Explore & Experience
Erotic Sensual Touch
Group or Individual
Sessions
[email protected]
www.phillipcoupal.ca
PLEASE RECYCLE
THIS PAPER!
COUNSELLING
SQUEAKY CLEAN
Domestic Cleaning Services.
Your Neighbourhood Cleaner
(prices and estimates available
on request).
Call Mark: 416-924-1951 (Res.)
416-347-3951 (Cell)
e-mail: [email protected]
mark-copeland.com
BE BOLD!
Bold your line classified.
Counselling + Coaching + Bodywork
Communication — Relationship — Life Skills
Gay Men — Male Couples
$ZDNHQ6WXGLR
416-557-7312 — [email protected]
www.phillipcoupal.ca
NEW THOUGHT THERAPY
Personalized Effective
Conversations.
Depression, Anxiety, Gender,
Sexuality, Life/Executive
Coaching
Todd Kaufman, MDiv
647-230-2068
Genesissquared.com. See our
ad in this issue of Xtra
PAINTING
Newbright Painting
NO MESS, NO FUSS, JUST SUPERIOR WORKMANSHIP
Commercial/Residential, Interior/Exterior Painting l Design & colour consultation
Light Reno’s and Repairs l Window Cleaning l Better Business Bureau
Celebrating 13 years in Xtra l References provided on request l Fully insured
Sean 416.985.8639 [email protected]
LEGAL SERVICES
ARRESTED?
CHARGED?
AGGRESSIVE
CRIMINAL
DEFENCE
416.410.2266
HAIR/SKIN & BEAUTY
REGISTERED MASSAGE
EROTIC MASSAGE
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
CLEANERS
HEALTH & FITNESS
WHITE GAY MALE
seeking 55+ gay male.
Well hung, hard, oral and more.
416-877-1200
www.gayfathers-toronto.com
HOME, CONDO & OFFICE
CLEANERS
call Tomas - 416.878.9527
FULLY BONDED AND INSURED
visit: www.ecoscleaning.com
To place an ad, call 416-925-6665 x0
or book your line classified at
classifi[email protected]
MOVERS
WWW.GANYMEDE.CA
Professional hair removal by
certified specialist. Waxing,
electrolysis and laser.
Clean, private,
downtown location.
By appointment only.
Call Darcy at 416-979-8801.
4SEASONS MASSAGE
THERAPY & WAXING
Charles Guo, RMT Registered
Massages, Waxing Hair Removal. Receipt for massage insurance. First Time Client 20%
off waxing.
40 Wellesley St E, Ste 201.
By appointment
416-944-3784
4seasonsmassage.ca
BRENT ROUSSEAU RMT
For treatment of muscle injuries, pain and stress management, and enhancement of
physical health and well being.
Day, evening, and weekend
appts. available. Insurance
coverage, Visa accepted, free
parking, 416-708-3996.
Broadview/Danforth.
brentrousseau.com
GET ALL THE
INCHES YOU WANT!
Book your ad now! 416-935-6665 x0
RELAXATION
HEADtoFITA MASSAGE
THERAPIES Frank Fita RMT
offering Swedish, La-stone
hot-stone, Thai-yoga
massages. Specializing in
treatments for work-related
and sports injuries.
www.headtofita.com
Across from Wellesley subway.
For appointment or info
call 416-473-0065.
Massage Buffet
Massage: traditional,
anal/prostate, & Taoist Erotic.
Breath orgasms. Sex and Life
Coach. Paul Barber
647-821-3131
canadian bodyworker.com
MASSAGE CERTIFIED
Bold your line classified.
FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL &
PRIVATE Specialized in
combination deep tissue & relaxation. Trained in Swedish,
Thai, Indian,Sport & Korean
style acupressure point
massage.
Downtown, appointment only.
Will - 416-910-7778
EMPLOYMENT
FULL BODY MASSAGE $60
/1hr - $90/$1.5hr. Enjoy a
medium to deep pressure
massage for a complete
relaxation of the body. Avail
Mon-Sun 11 am to 9pm. Call or
text Marcos 647-881-1545.
[email protected]
www.marcosmassagespa.com
KEVIN SHORTT MASSAGE
and Yoga Therapy: sensual,
intimate bodywork with
stretching. $15 off First Time
Clients! Check out my
website:
www3.sympatico.ca/kshortt
416-961-8064
BE BOLD!
GENERAL
Seeking Mom(s) for
Co-parenting
Calm, active, healthy father of
one, 6’ tall, lots of good energy,
life experience, love, patience,
wisdom for a special child in my
life. You are kind, loving, good
listener, want to have a baby,
and father and co-parent in
our child’s life. Let’s talk
[email protected]
HAIR/SKIN & BEAUTY
MALE, FEMALE, TRANS
affordable hair removal
services by friendly, discreet,
experienced CERTIFIED Wax
Technician, in an immaculate,
upscale home Wax Clinic.
Stephen (647)973-4247 or
www.maircare.ca
#news
#arts
#travel
#events
CraigPenney.com
El-Farouk
Khaki
Barrister & Solicitor
Refugee & Immigration Law
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BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
REAL ESTATE
Manhattan Moving Services
REAL ESTATE AGENT
manhattanmovingservice.ca
Craig Head Specializing in
Condos Bosley Real Estate
Ltd., Brokerage
www.craighead.ca
28 APRIL 17–30, 2014 XTRA!
Everything gay, every day.
Toronto's Award Winning Gay Owned Moving Company
416.259.2181
XTRA HOT
Checking in with Jeremy: Week 14
DRASKO
BOGDANOVIC
BODY BREAK
JEREMY WILLIARD
NAME: PJ SHIELDS
AGE: 35 SIGN: TAURUS, ARIES CUSP
“A night out can be with friends for drinks, a walk in the park, a circuit party
or a leather event,” PJ says. “I wear many hats and my mood leads me
around, so things can either be really planned or totally random, and that’s
the fun — never really knowing what’s going to happen.” The Pitbull go-go
dancer is turned on by confidence, something that was necessary during
his wildest sexual experience: “driving out to the middle of a park in San
Francisco on the back of a bike and walking in just far enough we could hear
the road but not see it. Kneeling in front of my alpha and him soaking my
jeans, blowing him, then climbing back on the bike and heading straight to
dinner in my wet denim. Hottest date ever.”
I’ve now lost 20 pounds,
and although I’m not
very muscular, I look much less like
an ogreish Seth Rogen than I did
before. I haven’t been this light in
at least five years. I fit into clothing
better, I move better (I find myself
bouncing out of chairs, rather than
having to fight my way up), and it’s
great to feel confident about how I
look. My partner and I went to a sex
party the other night, and I felt mostly
comfortable frolicking nakedly in
front of a crowd — and we got several
compliments for our performance!
Not bad for three and a half months of
exercise.
On my own I wouldn’t have been
able to make this kind of progress.
The program at Evolution Fitness
addresses just about everything I
need in order to change my shape,
from my time with the nutritionist
to my personal trainer to the support
of various friendly staff members
around the gym. Evolution is a
smaller, boutique-style set-up, so
all the trainers — not just my own —
keep tabs on my progress and offer
helpful tips whenever they can. And
while they’re giving me advice, I can
surreptitiously check them out.
There’s a newness and a coziness
to the space. Unlike the last gym
I belonged to, all the equipment
works, nothing’s falling off the walls,
and during my time there some new
amenities have appeared. As soon as
there seems to be a need for something — Accio! – it’s there. (Obsessive
Jeremy is now confident enough to romp around naked at sex parties.
COURTESY OF EVOLUTION FITNESS
Harry Potter nerds like my partner
will know “Accio” to be a summoning spell.) I suppose it helps that the
owner is always at the gym, either
working out, which is an impressive
sight, offering encouragement or setting up some new furniture.
Over my remaining two weeks
at Evolution, I think I’m mainly alternating between three different
workouts, focused on the lower body,
upper body and back. It’s doable but
tough. And my elation over finally escaping planking — I can’t emphasize
enough how much I hate planking
— is somewhat diminished by a new
hell that is doing lunges while holding
dumbbells. There’s also this annoying
swoopy-batwing thing, where I stick
out my ass, bend over and swing my
arms out from my sides while holding
dumbbells. I’m sure my trainer just
makes these things up to make me
look absurd.
Twitter: jonshieldxxx
Go to dailysquirt.com to see more sexy photos of PJ.
To comment on or become an Xtra Hot guy or gal, email Drasko at [email protected].
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All in the family

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